Sunday January 19

Back on the patch today. A sunny and frosty morning. Everywhere was pretty much frozen and the roads were rather dicey.

Both Owls were showing well this morning, but I was mainly interested in the Little Owl as it was my first sighting this year.

Little Owl

The flash field added 39 Lapwings and three Grey Herons, before about 80 Greylag Geese and 26 Mallard flew around and away having been disturbed from somewhere nearby.

Walking back we recorded three Siskins along Morton Brook and even got a poor photograph which would have made last year's photo year-list, this species being one of the few I didn't get any image of at all. But I'm not showing it here, I have my standards ..ha ha.

Back at Netherstead a Common Buzzard flew over close enough for a flight shot.

Common Buzzard

Meanwhile we pondered whether, if I scoped a blob on the top of Studley Castle I could count it as a Black Redstart on my Morton Bagot list.

Studley Castle from Morton Bagot

I'd have been tempted if it had been showing.

PS: Some news from yesterday. Neil Duggan (and possibly someone else) was on the patch yesterday and recorded both owls and a similar list of other species as today, while the ringers were also active and caught a lot of new Blue Tits. Their full list was:

Blue Tit 78 (inc 20 retraps)
Great Tit 13 (inc 4 retraps)
Long-tailed Tit 7 (inc 6 retraps)
Redwing 1
Robin 7 (inc 4 retraps)
Dunnock 6 (inc 4 retraps)
Greenfinch 1
Lesser Redpoll (2 retraps)
Goldfinch 3

Redwing